Reasons Why your Weight Loss Plan (Nutrition & Exercise) Isn’t Working

Weight loss may be 80%+ nutrition (what you eat) and 20% staying active (exercise), but it is also certainly 110% mental.

I made a statement a couple articles back about it is more dangerous for someone to diet and fall “off the wagon” than to never have dieted at all.

This comes from the emotional and mental state that a person may experience from that point on (sense of failure, self-doubt, depression, etc).

When our heads are not in the game and focused on something positive, our body will suffer as well.

It could lead us down a road of self destructive behavior that will be harder to recover from.

So use this guide as a way to become “aware” of what may be happening in your lifestyle quest to be lean and healthy, and then take the positive steps to make sure you don’t fall off (and get run over) the diet wagon ever again.

Reason #1: You are looking for a quick fix

Don’t believe everything you read in advertising….if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!

It’s advertised everywhere with slogans to let you know how quickly you can lose weight.

People spend money on quick fix solutions year after year, and yet they never can get lasting results. Funny (in a sad way) how all these programs/ books/ supplement companies will also never tell you how many people also gain all the weight right back (as it is a high %).

Remember that ads are created by people who “specialize” in getting you to part with your money….so of course the claims will be exaggerated (or not even true in some cases) just to make a quick buck. If people stopped buying into these gimmicks…guess what would happen?

People would stop writing new fad diet books and promoting quick weight loss supplements! If we want all these quick fix salespeople to go away, we just have to stop buying into them.

Reason #2: You try for perfection and/or make it too complicated

If your diet or fitness plan needs an engineering degree to figure out, then maybe it’s time for something a bit more simple.

Most diets out there probably will work, but how easy are they to really follow for a “lifetime” of results?

This is the modern flaw with most all weight loss approaches out there, making them overly complicated for the real people who have jobs, kids, family and other responsibilities.

You will see Hollywood celebrities promoting these diets….yet with all their free time, access to personal trainers and private chefs, look at how many of them just gain the weight right back!

The same can be said for your fitness/workout program.

Is it requiring charts and 30 different exercises every workout?

Is it something that you could easily do on the road traveling without access to your normal gym?

It doesn’t have to be that complicated, it just needs to have the right exercises done at the right intensity (mainly full body compound movements).

The old rule of 80/20 always comes into play here, stick with the 20% of your eating/fitness and eating that yield 80% of your results and you will be in great shape for life. More is not always better, and always trying to be perfect (all or nothing) is usually the reason people abandon their weight loss efforts after a minor setback (which will happen in life).

Mark over at MDA also has the same mindset towards living a healthy lifestyle…”an overall 80% conformity with the 10 Primal Blueprint rules will yield a solidly healthy result”. So stop beating yourself up if you are not 100% all the time, strive for doing your best daily and then repeat every day.

Reason #3: You think you are being deprived of something

Pizza is something I will probably never give up….yet it is not also something I eat daily.

Here’s your list of approved foods, you can only eat these snacks, you can never have these foods…..sound familiar with any diet approach?

Of course we want people to eat healthy and you really do have to avoid certain foods if you want results….but if you are constantly craving or wanting a piece of pizza (my favorite “bad” food), and your diet says to never have pizza….how long do you think it will be before you cave in and eat a large pie in front of the tv?

What are the chances that after that binge you will go back to the restrictive diet plan again (not high I’ll tell you)?

So while you aim to eat the right healthy foods, you can not have a deep sense of being deprived of something…otherwise you will just drop your eating plan and binge. So have certain days where you allow yourself foods that you really enjoy. Remember that this is not about eating them every single day, but say on a weekend night you allow yourself to enjoy some foods.

As you progress in your lifestyle of healthy eating, your food tastes and desires will also change. So the desserts you used to crave, you come to terms with on your own journey and no longer want them. There is no “conflict” in taking them out of your lifestyle anymore (like with a strict diet plan) but now you just “drop” them on your own….and that is the only way to do it.

Reason #4: The dangers are not real enough for you

You wouldn’t drink from this bottle….yet many of us may be sipping from it daily and not know it until it is too late!

You wouldn’t drink straight bleach or rat poison, right?

We know it would probably make us very sick or kill us quickly.

But each day we may be making choices that slowly lead us down a road of ill-health and increase our chances for most all diseases such as heart disease, cancers, and more.

This is really nothing new of course, as the saying goes “if you throw a frog into a boiling pot of water it will jump right out….but put it in a cold pot and slowly boil, it will stay in and die”.

We all know that we should eat healthier, just ask anyone shoving a donut or hot dog down and they will nod in agreement and laugh about it with you.

We all know the risks, yet if it is not an immediate danger no one really takes it seriously enough.

Most doctors will say you should “eat better and exercise more” yet many patients will never take that into action.

When do people take things seriously?

How about when the danger is present and real, such as your doctor saying “if you don’t lose 20lbs you will be dead in a year”.

So it’s time to start to realize that the long term diseases are something to worry about and try and prevent.

Want a reality slap, go visit people who are dealing with diabetes, cancers, or some other diseases on a daily basis.

Maybe that will make it real enough for you.

Until we can all see the real dangers (as most stuff will not kill us right now….but what about 5 years down the road?) of what we eat/do….we can not be serious enough to stick with a healthy lifestyle.

Once you realize the long term positive benefits of what and why you eat, you will stick with it for a lifetime.

Reason #5: You use food/exercise as a way to escape real issues

Food is just a temporary escape…not a long term solution to your happiness.

Have a bad day at work? Having relationship problems?

Experiencing low self esteem or self doubt?

Well opening up a quart of Ben and Jerry may help you to calm down for the moment and the pain go away, but it’s not solving the root of the problem.

The pain will return, the issue is still there.

Using food (usually ones high in sugar that give off a endorphin rush such as ice cream and desserts) as an escape is dangerous!

The same can also be said for people who workout in a gym for hours a day (just because they have nothing else going on or don’t want to go home to face issues).

Don’t just kill time with a workout to avoid something else.

This is also why many may turn to alcohol and drugs, to just “numb” themselves to issues they may be avoiding in life….and why people also stay addicted in order to not face the source of the pain (inside).

Take time out to actually find the root cause of your unhappiness in life.

Find ways in which to go face to face and conquer your doubts or fears, don’t ignore them….as they never go away until you see them for what they are, and then overcome/detach from them.

The Solutions:

* Don’t go for quick fixes….focus on long term solutions (time will pass quickly enough…as look where you were 6 months ago)

* You don’t have to be perfect to get good results, so don’t beat yourself up for going out and eating things you know you shouldn’t have.

Just focus on today and what you need to do….the past is gone, more forward (but don’t give up altogether).

* Keep your approach to eating/fitness simple and fun. Don’t look at is as a complicated task, or you will just resent and eventually give it up.

Try intermittent fasting as a simple way to eat and lose weight.

* Focus on living a healthy life till you are 99 (or something like that).

Diseases are not natural…and are something we can help to prevent.

With that mentality make the right food choices for a long and healthy life.

Then you won’t deprive yourself of any foods…as you choose the ones you want for the right reasons now (and no one else is taking them away from you).

* You can be happy right now, it’s all in your head.

But it’s something you need to face head on….not avoid and cover up with foods, exercise or other distractions.

Once you can master your own happiness, then it’s yours to have every day.

Use these posts to help you out:

How to be Happy Right Now and How to Win the Mental Battle.

* Live to enjoy life…..eat to enjoy good foods….keep things simple and repeat daily.

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Dr. Saman Bakhtiar is a Riverside Personal Trainer and Boot Camp Instructor.

If you know anyone looking for personal training or accountability, forward their info to us.

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Sam is ‘thee’ Fitness Expert and Body Transformation Specialist this side of the San Gabriel Valley & Inland Empire.

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We offer Boot Camps, Fitness Training, Nutritional Consultations and a friendly awesome staff ready to take on all weight loss and fat loss challenges.

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Does this Walker Make Me Look Fat?

By Shawna Kaminski

CHECK OUT SHAWNA’S STUFF AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG!!

Aging and Body Fat

Clients often come my way once they notice their muffin tops or love handles expanding and not responding to fitness protocols which worked in the past.

As these people age, they become increasingly exasperated with the loss of control of body fat levels.

Understanding the reasons behind these changes is the first step in battling an ever expanding waist line.

To begin, let’s examine dietary habits.

The most obvious reason for higher body fat levels is overeating, but food choices can also make a big difference.

No one ever overeats on fibrous vegetables; it’s usually the carbohydrate choices that are packing on the pounds.

Excess carbs coupled with high fat intake is a double whammy.

Throw in other factors which tend to gain momentum as we age, and body fat accumulates.

Hormones, such as cortisol, testosterone and estrogen fluctuate as our life styles push daily stress levels higher.

Excess alcohol intake and use of corticosteroids can create chemical imbalances that encourage fat storage.

As you can see, some factors are more easily addressed than others, but maintaining a healthy diet is an easy and effective way to slow down or even reverse the process which increases unwanted body fat from accumulating.

Secondly, maintaining lean muscle mass is essential to maintaining healthy body fat levels.

If you retain or add to your lean muscle mass, you have must consume additional calories to preserve that muscle.

Muscle is metabolically active and takes energy to sustain, thus creating an increased metabolism.

Body fat is simply stored energy, and requires zero calories to maintain.

The downward spiral begins as muscle mass is lost due to inactivity.

This trend tends to accelerate as we age.

Some find that while their body weight stays nearly the same, their shape changes drastically.

What’s occurring is muscle mass is declining, while body fat levels climb.

The end product is a slower metabolism, which in the long run, makes you gradually get fatter, even eating the same number of calories as you did in the past.

It’s a downward spiral which eventually makes losing or even maintaining body weight levels impossible.

By age 75, the percentage of body fat typically doubles compared with what it was during young adulthood.

The distribution of fat also changes, changing the shape of the torso.

A healthy diet and regular exercise can help keep excessive body fat accumulation to a minimum.

Studies prove that regular weight bearing and weight resistance exercise significantly slows or even halts the loss of muscle mass with aging.

The following body fat charts show the “typical” or “normal” degeneration of body composition as we age.

Women: Normal Range by Age

Men: Normal Range by Age

According to these charts, and this line of traditional wisdom, it is ‘acceptable’ for you to gain body fat as you age.

This does not have to be the case!

With regular exercise and a healthy diet, you should be able to maintain your lean muscle mass well into your middle years and beyond.

This, in turn, will help to keep your body fat levels and body composition in check.

An active and fit 70 year old woman with a body fat level of 23% has a much lower risk of disease and aging than her counterpart with a ‘normal’ body fat level of 34%, not to mention the higher quality of life.

Regardless if you are 20 or 70 years of age, lower body fat levels reduce a person’s general health risks.

Too much body fat at any age is a liability.

It’s the same story; attention to a healthy diet and a sound exercise program not only helps you fight disease and aging, it will keep you fitting in your skinny jeans with less effort and frustration as the years roll by.

By Shawna Kaminski

Dear Fitness Concepts friend,

It’s no secret that it’s a little more difficult for women to lose fat
than men. We also know that our metabolism slows down around the
age of 40.

When you are a women and are over forty then you have the
deck stack against you.

My colleague Shawna Kaminski is an expert fitness professional.
She is an expert in helping women over forty to lose fat and gain
lean muscle tone.

As a matter of fact last weekend in our mastermind group
she revealed her success secrets with this “population”.

Click On The Picture Below To Checkout This Awesome Program

If you are a woman over forty years old you definitely want to
checkout her program. Take a look at the before and after
pictures of her clients.

Just by looking at her you know she practices what she preaches.

Here are just a few things you will learn in this program

* Why exercise intensity NOT duration is the key to lose fat especially for women over 40.

* The one thing that you MUST avoid if you are really serious about loosing the last 10-25lb.

* Latest research that shows why …………… is the most underrated factor in fat loss for women over 40.

* A simple way to make your skin look and feel like you were in your 20′s.

Click On The Picture Below To Checkout This Awesome Program
Click Here To Checkout This Awesome Program:

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Check out our website HERE!!

Looking forward to bringing you more and more info all the time!!

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Thanks for tuning in!

Check out Diamond Bar Personal Trainers!!

108 Ways To Get Fit This Year

by Dustin Maher

I have included 10 of Dustin’s Tips below & PDF file to print & post

click-here-108-ways-to-get-fit-in-2010

I truly believe that this year will be your best and fittest year ever.

For some of you, you are entering this year in the worst shape of your life, for many of you, your best!

Wherever you are, just know that you can always be better!

Health and fitness is a constant journey.

Remember you have everything inside of you for greatness;

it is up to you to tap into that and reach your true potential.

It is my goal in this article to give you many quick tips that you can implement in order to have a profound impact on your life.

Trying to do every one of these tips in the first week would be overwhelming.

I recommend reading them all over a couple times & then find 2-5 the first week to incorporate into your life.

After a week or two of being successful at those challenges, move on to another couple while still implementing the first few.

This is a very powerful way to make many small changes that can completely transform your life!

Please note these are in random order and not based on level of importance.

Print this out and post it next to your computer or somewhere you will see everyday.

click-here-108-ways-to-get-fit-in-2010

Are you ready? Lets go!

1. Take before pictures
2. Post before pictures on your refrigerator and keep visible in your car and next to your bed
3. Take circumference measurements ASAP, and repeat every month
4. Eliminate sugary drinks completely… fruit juices, diet soda, regular soda, energy drinks
5. Eat plain Greek yogurt
6. Find a workout partner that is committed and won’t let you slack off
7. Write inspirational quotes on index cards and post everywhere around you
8. Read stories about others who have achieved greatness in their health and fitness, whom you can relate to
9. Eat at least 1 big salad each day, two is even better
10. Get protein in with each meal

My Man Dustin is a genius!

Check Out what he has to offer!

dustinmaherfitness.com

His Fit Moms For Life DVD workouts site is fitmomsforlife

He gives the first DVD away for just the cost of shipping.

Dustin has this cool app for your iphone

CHECK IT OUT!!

Flat Stomach App for the IPhone.

  It is $1.99 and is super cool! 

“Educating, Motivating, & Inspiring everyone to reach their potential in all areas of their life!”

Dustin Maher
Personal Trainer: A.C.E (American Council on Exercise)
(608) 772-6651
www.DustinMaherFitness.com
www.madisonbootcamps.com

Again as always having a blast bringing you my latest thoughts and inspirations.

Thank you and if you enjoyed this Blog please click the facebook icon below and share with your friends.

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Looking forward to bringing you more and more info all the time!!

If there a subject you would would like us to focus in on just post a comment.

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Thanks for tuning in!

Check out Claremont Personal Trainers!!